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Accidental Gamer Hero by Knowing Autumn
 Anime » Naruto Rated: M, English, Fantasy, Hinata H., OC, Words: 198k+, Favs: 3k+, Follows: 4k+, Published: Dec 5, 2020 Updated: 15h ago1,954Chapter 14: C-rank Mission
A/N: Perhaps it was because Yandere Hinata was a particular contentious subject but 300 reviews for just one chapter is insane! The issue was hotly contested, and it was split pretty evenly between the yes and nos. But maybe around half of the nos didn't want a Yandere Hinata that would go all murder mania ala Future Diary's Yuno Gasai. That's definitely not where I would push Yandere Hinata towards. On a scale of 1 (notice me senpai) to 10 (everyone must die), I would put my version of Yandere Hinata at a 3-4 (how dare other girls look at you).
Not sure if this will change anyone's view on this topic, but maybe I could share more of why I wanted to write a Yandere Hinata in the first place. Vanilla Hinata, i.e. kind, shy, meek, is so utterly boring. I have read this character over and over again in so many fanfics throughout the years that it has become so stale to me. Mostly it was the desire to try something new and something that could let me flex my creative muscles.
On a side note, I have actually never seen Road to Ninja. So I was actually surprised Yandere Hinata is officially part of 'canon'. I never watched the movies, so a lot of content taken from them that I used in the story is through internet research. Yes, I do research. I do a lot of things behind- the-scenes, like note taking and stat tracking. Appreciate me more, punks! Jk
This week's chapter came super late I know. I had a project at work that needed my complete and undivided attention so I couldn't spare any time even on the weekend to finish up this chapter. Funny thing is, I already had roughly 7k words written after I posted the last chapter, but I could barely squeeze in any time to finish it up. I had to take a couple hours today and finish it in one sitting. Can't say when the next chapter will be released since the project is still ongoing, but I will definitely try my hardest to keep to the weekly release schedule.
P.S. We've hit 200k views and 1.5k reviews, next milestone is 2k reviews. Let's goooooo
Hinata's palm strike was batted away with a ruthless efficiency epitomized by Hyuuga Hiashi. The attempted attack was countered with Hiashi's own chakra-infused gentle fist that cracked against Hinata's jaw that sent her collapsing to the ground.
The Hyuuga Patriarch stood over the still form of his daughter, his breath not even slightly laboured, and his yukata still as pristine as before the training began.
"Better, but still lacking." He commented. "You have engraved the forms of the Gentle Fist into your heart and have memorized every nuance of our clan's fighting style. But how you apply what you have learnt is still lacking. Precision beats power and timing beats speed every time. If you just throw out your strikes according to the forms and without consideration for how your opponent can and will react to them, you will only demonstrate inflexibility and reveal the pattern in your attacks, inviting counterattacks. Now, get up."
Hinata trembled on the ground before exerting what energy she still had left in her bruised body to pick herself back up. The steel in her gaze hardened as she moved in to the opening stance of the Gentle Fist.
Her father watched her and had to hold back the pride and praise he sincerely felt in his heart. Overt praise would only stroke his daughter's ego, but too little of it would also weaken her confidence.
Watching who he had written off as being hopeless grow stronger, absorbing his lessons like a sponge does water, was humbling yet gratifying. It was little over three years ago when he first witnessed what his daughter was truly capable of when pushed to do so. What heartened him was not her admittedly deficient proficiency in the Gentle Fist, but the courage and decisiveness to use it in times of need.
What was expected of the next Hyuuga clan head was not just martial prowess, but the resolve to fight for their clan when it is required of them. Hinata never had the heart of a warrior. She was too meek; too timid to properly use what she had been taught in battle. It was a disappointment to see that his daughter had not inherited spirit of a fighter he himself possessed, rather it was her younger sister, Hanabi, that did.
Hiashi loved both his daughters; and that was why he had written her off as hopeless in the first place. Because to inherit the authority over the Hyuuga clan required strength, and the backbone to utilize that strength to beat down dissenters. One would be naïve to think that all it took to inherit the mantle of the Hyuuga clan head was just the right lineage and support from the previous head.
The main family and the branch family, while seeming to coexist peacefully on the surface, had a deeply tense relationship in actuality. The branch family outnumbered the main one ten to one, however, the main family is able to keep them under their thumbs due to the existence of the Caged Bird Cursed Seal. That, and the main family's monopoly of the Hyuuga clan's secret techniques.
Yet, despite having these tools that suppressed the branch family's hopes, desires and ambitions, none of them mattered if the head of the clan lacked the resolve to use it. It would take little imagination to think of what could happen if the branch family sensed weakness in the main family - assassination, rebellion, treason. After all, if there were no longer a main family to rule over the branch family, then they would be master-less servants.
And as the leader of the clan and by extension the main family, the clan head's weakness represented the main family's weakness. It wasn't the sterling reputation of the Hyuuga clan Hiashi cared about; it was the continuation of the clan's very existence that required a stern, iron fist to rule over both main and branch families.
It was for both Hinata's sake, as well as the clan itself, that Hiashi first thought of condemning the girl to the branch house and letting her sister take over the leadership position. His first daughter would be able to live a more carefree existence, leading the branch family and guaranteeing the branch family's loyalty for another generation and supporting Hanabi who would inherit the clan head position in her stead. This was an arrangement that would benefit all involved.
It was an unexpected, yet welcome surprise when Hinata took the initiative and stepped up her training after that particular incident in her second year at the academy. It wasn't often Hiashi was taken by surprise, the insight provided by their clan's all-seeing eyes guaranteed so, and by his own daughter no less. His renewed pride in her which subsequently reinforced her own confidence led to a self-perpetuating cycle of improvement for the girl wherein her confidence and skills skyrocketed after stagnating for so long.
Even if she still lacked the killer instincts a powerful and famed shinobi needed to be successful, that could be slowly developed over her career. In the meantime, what Hiashi needed to do was to cultivate her will to wield the weapons she had been given. That is to say, the ability to hurt others when necessary. And to do so, he would beat the timidity out of her if need be.
Hinata wordlessly launched another combo of Gentle Fist attacks, from pokes to palm strikes and the occasional kicks to mix up what she had been told was a predictable offensive pattern.
The Hyuuga patriarch nodded in commendation. She was learning.
As he parried or avoided her blows, he carried on his lessons verbally, "To achieve your desires; to achieve your hopes, dreams, ambition, what do you need? The answer is strength! Only when you are strong enough to sneer and look down at the world, can you walk unimpeded to what you yearn for the most. If you encounter any obstacles, destroy them! When your enemies try to hold you back, destroy them! Speak, Hinata, what do you do when someone blocks your path?"
Hinata narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth, going for a palm right at Hiashi's heart before twisting her body in a demonstration of her natural flexibility and changed the trajectory of her strike at the last moment. As her palm approached Hiashi's liver instead, glowing in the telltale blue light of chakra that shined brightly under the chakra sight of the Hyuuga's Byakuugan, she screamed, "Destroy them!"
"Excellent!" Hiashi praised as he smacked away the palm that threatened to implode his organ while simultaneously tripping the girl who had overextended trying to land an unexpected strike.
In the single instant where Hinata was floating in mid-air, right after being swept off her feet by Hiashi, she could swear that she saw just the faintest shadow of a smile at the corner of her father's lips before in a skilful display of aikido he flipped her and threw her to the ground with frightening ease.
Once again, Hinata hit the hardwood floor of the Hyuuga Clan compound's main family dojo hard, the wind knocked out of her lungs, but all in all not injured beyond surface wounds.
"Twisting your body and changing where you were going to hit at the last minute was clever, but it is clear that you were unfamiliar with the move and so your body was unable to keep up with what you had envisioned in your mind. Furthermore, it was painfully obvious what you were trying to do. I could see through your intentions just by reading where your eyes were looking at. Our eyes are pupil-less but the iris can still betray your intentions. The Byakuugan has a 360 degree vision, make use of that so as to not divulge your target to your opponent by not physically looking at where you want to attack."
"You have a natural flexibility in your upper torso and lower limbs, make use of that and continue developing your own style. Remember, the Hyuuga clan's Gentle Fist is not the summit of taijutsu. It is not the best fit for every one of its practitioners, and more often than not, the truly skilled members of the Hyuuga clan develop their own styles by adjusting the Gentle Fist's forms."
Hinata picked herself up, flinching slightly at the dull throbbing pain in her tired body, and bowed in gratitude for her father's lessons. "I have listened well to your pointers, father. Thank you for your instruction."
Hiashi stared wordlessly, appearing as though too proud to acknowledge his daughter's gratitude. "I understand your team is planning to train together later, yes?"
"Yes, father." She answered, though inwardly worried what her father had to say about it. The Aburame and Hyuuga clan had at the very least, cordial relations, so he should approve of Shino. But Shinji, on the other hand, was an orphan. Even if he were the most talented person Hinata had ever encountered and possessed enough charisma in him to charm anyone he encountered, it was possible that Hiashi would look down on his background.
"Hmm… Clean yourself up and go find Haruko to treat your wounds. There are certain standards you, as the heiress of the Hyuuga clan, have to observe, after all." The Hyuuga patriarch stated before turning to walk away, his posture as impeccable as always.
To her surprise, he did not disparage her beloved Shinji-kun as she had expected. Rather, he even instructed her to pay attention to her appearance.
"Y-yes, father!" Hinata called out after her father. Staring at the stoic and imperturbable back of her father, she wondered just what was going through his mind. He was as hard to read as always, and it often took significant effort on her part just attempting to discern his thoughts.
'Could it be that father approves of Shinji-kun? Oh that would be wonderful… he would bless our union and…' Hinata reddened at the thought, before shaking her head clear of the image in her mind and went off to seek medical attention from the Hyuuga clan head's personal physician.
I ducked under a wild swing from Naruto before having to lean back to avoid a palm strike from Hinata. I grabbed the outstretched arm from the Hyuuga heiress and threw the girl at Naruto, causing them both to stumble and fall in a heap. Snickering internally at the cliché 'shounen protagonist landing on his crush' situation I had engineered, I turned to check out the other battle that was going on.
Sasuke was exchanging blows with Shino while Shikamaru skirted around the edge of the exchange, occasionally sneaking in a kick or two to disrupt Sasuke's tempo. The Uchiha performed admirably against the Aburame, deflecting the attempted strikes without much difficulty and landing a couple of his own to boot.
Team Seven and Team Ten was currently participating in one of the regular inter-team training sessions I had organized. We regularly sparred against one another or exchanged training tips to help each other grow; albeit I was the one who was usually imparting what I knew rather than the other way round.
It had been some time since both teams passed their respective jounin tests. Team Ten started on D-ranked missions as well as receiving training from Asuma. I had to hold myself back from cringing when I thought back about the day Asuma had pulled me aside to show me Nature Transformation.
The jounin had pulled out a pair of Chakra Induction Paper that could determine an individual's chakra affinity when their chakra was channelled into them. He explained the whole concept of chakra affinities and Nature Transformation while I listened attentively. Even though I already knew everything he was talking about, it was possible that there were certain subtle nuances that I lacked knowledge of.
Unsurprisingly, the paper had split in two and both halves ignited in flames upon receiving my chakra. Asuma was extremely excited upon learning of the fact. He first conceded that it was exceedingly rare for any person to have more than one elemental affinity. The fact that I had both wind and fire affinities, traditionally conflicting elements, likely suggested that I had shinobi parentage.
I expressed my shock and for a moment I wondered whether it was the brightest idea to display my affinities if it would open up inquiries about my background; but ultimately I concluded that it wasn't the worst thing in the world for people to begin speculating about my parentage, since I would eventually have to reveal my Uchiha lineage some time in the future. It was an inevitable, sooner or later type situation.
Furthermore, only by revealing my chakra affinities could I receive proper instruction from Asuma, the effects of which would be greatly boosted by my title [Asuma's Disciple].
The jounin then boasted that he too possessed a natural wind affinity, which was rare for inhabitants of the Land of Fire, while having mastered both wind and fire Nature Transformation. The man took on a rare contemplative look before subsequently offering to teach me everything he knew about Nature Transformation and their related abilities.
He held such sincerity and eagerness in his eyes that I could hardly reject, not that I would have in the first place. Having an experienced, elite jounin like Asuma guiding the development of my shinobi skills would be immensely rewarding. I guessed that the jounin was greatly enthused about having a talented disciple at the prime of the man's shinobi career to cultivate and impart his hard earned skills.
After I accepted his offer of a mentorship, he started me out on the wind element Nature Transformation exercise which involved moulding wind nature chakra and infusing it into a leaf. Being able to split the leaf in two directly down the middle with no additional cuts indicated the first step towards success, as Asuma had demonstrated.
Initially I was dubious about the effectiveness of such a training method to improve my control of wind nature chakra given my [Natural Wind Affinity] perk. Turns out, I was wrong. My hubris and confidence in the system prevented me from actively testing whether my theory had been right. Just after a few attempts in trying to ignite the leaf, I received a new system notification.
Through repeated actions, you have created a new skill!
[Wind Nature Transformation] has been added to your skill page!
Through advanced chakra manipulation exercise, you have gained +1 INT!
[Wind Nature Transformation] (Passive) LVL: 1
Increased efficiency in handling wind nature chakra
+15% damage dealt with all wind-related skills
-3% CP cost to all wind-related skills
Asuma didn't only work on Nature Transformation with me, he also began honing my taijutsu and kenjutsu skills. Although the jounin did not wield a blade as his primary weapon, he had plenty of experience dealing with enemies who did, thus he could correct my kenjutsu forms and help me integrate the theory into practical combat application.
Of course, the man didn't only focus on myself. He also trained Shino and Hinata as well, though Asuma had admitted that because of their reliance on their exclusive clan techniques, he could hardly teach anything at the advanced level without requiring the two clan genins to compromise the time they spent on their clan techniques.
However, the jounin could still firm up their foundational skills as well as coach them on more advanced chakra control exercises along with practical combat techniques. There was also a focus on teamwork exercises and a more theorical exploration on how the three of us could synergize our respective skill sets.
From the get-go, Asuma established the fundamental roles each of us took on in the team. Both Hinata and Shino functioned primarily as the team's tracking and capture specialists. Do not underestimate the common shinobi's reliance on chakra, Asuma espoused. Most shinobi had such a deeply ingrained dependence on the miracles of chakra that once one could deprive them access to that chakra, be it through the Gentle Fist of the Hyuuga clan or chakra absorption traits of the Aburame's kikaichuu, they would have nearly nothing else to fall back on. Making them an easy target to subdue once they were denied access from their chakra.
Of course he also warned them to never be complacent even if the target could not use their chakra. There existed many esoteric and unorthodox shinobi who possessed alternative methods to take a life.
As for myself, I was the obvious heavy hitter in the trio. A combination of deadly close range capabilities with my kenjutsu and taijutsu as well as mid to long range versatility in my ninjutsu made me an all-round competent heavy assault combatant.
Added to that my undisclosed Sharingan that came with it an arsenal of eye-based genjutsu alongside my proficiency in medical ninjutsu meant that unless I was exceedingly outclassed, I would be a match for any opponent.
It was with this team composition that Asuma adjusted our training regime. He was helping Hinata with the issue of closing the distance to land her Gentle Fist strikes or figuring out a way to circumvent the need for getting up close and personal with the enemy; with Shino he provided some strategies to utilize his kikaichuu in more creative ways that would not risk the lives of his nest.
And finally with me, he emphasized combat ability and developed me as the trio's protector cum attack dog – able to go on the defensive to act as a shield for my teammates as easily as striking out offensively against our enemies. It was a role not often prescribed to normal teams as it required for the individual to take on far too many responsibilities for one to perform effectively. However, Asuma deemed me as being competent enough to take on these duties and flexible enough to engage both offensively and/or defensively at will.
It was a flattering assessment, though I did somewhat worry if Asuma was evaluating me with an over-exaggeration of my abilities. There was a certain modicum of pressure that started to seep in as the man highlighted the importance of my role in the team as well as the confidence he had that I could perform said role with ease. I wouldn't say that I thrived under pressure, but at the same time, I did enjoy a challenge.
Additionally, a day after our graduation exams, Sasuke told me about the test Kakashi had given them, before expressing an interest to learn Naruto's Shadow Clone technique. I had realized then and there that it was the perfect opportunity to accomplish a couple of my goals – namely, training Naruto, developing his and Sasuke's bond, and to openly 'learn' the Shadow Clone.
Thus, I gave Sasuke my suggestion, and though he was slightly reluctant in the beginning, the trust and confidence he had in me ultimately won over his initial hesitance.
We then approached Naruto and offered to train him in exchange for him teaching us his Kage Bunshin technique. I even dangled ninjutsu as a metaphorical carrot to sweeten the deal.
Naruto was initially hesitant, since he had been warned by the Hokage not to teach the technique to just anyone willy-nilly, and that it was a dangerous technique for anyone who used it recklessly. However, I managed to convince him that the Shadow Clone technique wasn't dangerous on its own, it was only the mass version of the technique that would be dangerous in the hands of someone who lacked the chakra reserves the blonde did.
Once again, my oratory and persuasive skills were a sight, or rather a sound, to behold and he conceded. Though I had to also assume that what should be my massive REP score with the boy as well as my relatively high CHA stat had to have played a part as well.
As a result, Naruto agreed to teach Sasuke and I his Kage Bunshin jutsu, and in return we would train him. Using the exchange of techniques as an excuse, I then extended the invitation to train together to the rest of our teams, and subsequently established regular inter-team training sessions for all of us to train together.
Being able to openly use the Kage Bunshin without receiving suspicion on where I had picked it up from would greatly expand the versatility of my skillset. After some experimentation in privacy, I had found out a few key features the technique introduced upon coming into contact with my Gamer System.
First off, shadow clones were not able to access the game system, period. At least, not like I could. The inventory and status pages could not be called up by a clone; so there would be no such thing like pulling out thousands of explosion tags from the inventory for a kamikaze suicide bombing by a clone, nor could a clone pump in all the free stat points accumulated for a temporary boost in strength.
The exception to that was the doppelganger from when I used [Summon Doppelganger]. Although the doppelganger could not use the free stat points in my status page, it had access to the inventory. Something that would definitely come in handy in the future. Additionally, I retained the memories of the doppelganger when it disappeared, similar to how shadow clones functioned.
Secondly, quests completed by clones netted me the same amount of EXP or other rewards as if I was the one who completed it. Which meant that theoretically if I had a thousand clones running around completing simple quests that rewarded even merely 10 EXP per piece, it would be an insane rate of return. Not that I could even create a thousand clones nor generate a thousand quests in the first place, but it was good to know that it was a possibility if I did.
Right now, with my max CP of 7535, I could comfortably make ten shadow clones – which also meant multiplying my skill growth rate by 1000%. I could make maybe one or two more, but reducing my CP further would greatly hamper their individual effectiveness. This as because of the shadow clone's weakness.
The one weakness being that each clone would only possess a max CP of 753 (the system rounded down it seemed), and they could not naturally regenerate CP like I could. Meaning, they were stuck with the amount of CP distributed when I created the clones originally. However, I had also discovered that the clones could recover CP when they meditated, so there was one silver lining at least.
This made it so that the clones could theoretically operate indefinitely if it continuously meditated to recover CP, although its efficiency would be lacklustre to say the least. Regardless, my skill growth rate rocketed upwards tremendously despite the disadvantages. Not only skills, even my stats could increase with the help of the Shadow Clones.
INT wasn't a physical stat that relied on physical exertion and conditioning to improve. It was all about mental exercises or acquiring new knowledge, not to mention the INT stat gains when I practiced Nature Transformation. The shadow clones were more than capable of reading new books or exercising their brainpower through puzzles or games like shogi and go, as well as practicing Nature Transformation. The experiences of which would be received by the original me when they were dismissed.
As a result, my INT stat once more soared past my other physical stats.
The training sessions usually went as such: A focused 1-on-1 mentoring with Naruto; A taijutsu spar involving either Sasuke or I fighting in a 1v2 against two others or Sasuke and I teaming up to fight 2v4. Sometimes, if I felt cocky enough, I would take on three or even four of them at the same time.
These taijutsu spars were mainly meant for Sasuke to hone his edge against multiple opponents concurrently, and for our teammates to gain experience working together with others. As for me, well, I rarely benefitted from these sessions. I didn't mind, however, as making sure Sasuke and Naruto became stronger would ultimately be beneficial in the bigger picture.
"Dammit, stop throwing Hinata at me, Shinji!" Naruto angrily exclaimed as he picked himself up while gingerly helping Hinata up as well.
I shook my head in a faux condescension, "Tsk, tsk. If you complained less, then I wouldn't have to throw Hinata at you so often." The girl in question didn't look as affected as I thought she would be, only casually separating herself from Naruto without any sputtering or crimson flushes.
The blonde growled, "That does it! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Two clones materialized next to him, both in combat ready stances.
Sighing, a surge of chakra coursed through my chakra pathways and exited the soles of my feet as I used [Flash Step] to instantly cross the distance between us. "For the last time, no ninjutsu during a taijutsu spar, Naruto."
A fist and a kick flashed out and destroyed the clones before I moved forward to catch Naruto in a headlock. "Your punishment for breaking the rules – ten seconds noogie." I declared and grinded my knuckle against the top of his head.
"AGH! I give, I give!" Naruto yelped in pain as he struggled to get out of the headlock.
I refused to relent and only released the boy after the ten seconds were up.
The blonde fell back, rubbing the top of his head, pouting. "No fair, I can't beat you with just taijutsu alone!"
"That's why you need to practice and improve your taijutsu so that one day you can beat me with just taijutsu." I snapped back immediately, slightly tired of his attitude. This wasn't the first time we had such a conversation, and knowing the boy, it wasn't going to be the last.
"Damnit, why can't my shadow clones learn taijutsu as well?" He whined.
I rolled my eyes at his question. A question that had already been answered multiple times. "I already told you, your shadow clones, while extremely useful in learning theory, can't help you with the practical application of your taijutsu knowledge. You have to develop muscle memory, instinct, reflexes and hone your combat sense – and there is only one way to do all that."
"I know, I know. Getting my butt kicked. Repeatedly." Naruto sullenly replied.
"That's right. Imagine every single one of your clones being a taijutsu master, being able to avoid attacks and land their own at the same time. The effectiveness of your clones would amplify exponentially."
The blonde grumbled, but ultimately accepted my words.
"Alright, enough taijutsu for today, they should be about done too." I looked over at the other fight that was similarly wrapping up with Sasuke slipping into his opponent's guard while delivering a finishing and crushing right hook that landed with deadly accuracy on Shino's side where his liver was. The impact of the blow coupled sent the Aburame collapsing to the ground groaning in pain.
Shikamaru, on the other hand, was already on his back. Whether he was too exhausted to move or just couldn't bother doing so, I couldn't tell.
Sasuke formed a fist and placed it square on the fallen Aburame's temple, "Yield?"
Shino silently nodded and the Uchiha withdrew his fist before extending a hand to help the other genin up. It was heart-warming to see such a courteous conduct from the boy; a far cry from how I remembered him prior to my interference.
I beckoned Naruto and Hinata to follow me and went over to the others, momentarily stopping by Shikamaru to nudge with my foot, "Get up lazy bones, up next is the 3v3 team fight."
The Nara glanced at me and breathed out, "Remind me why I'm doing this again?"
"It's either this or a 1v1 spar between us. Totally your choice." I menacingly smiled.
Shikamaru unhurriedly got up, "Choosing between a knife or an ever bigger knife is no choice at all."
"It all depends on your perspective, Shika-chan. A small knife in your eye is way worse than a big knife in your thigh."
The lazy genius gave me a strange look, "Yeah… I have three questions: one, have you ever killed a person before? Two, how many people have you killed? And three, please will you not kill me?"
I laughed and patted his shoulder to which he flinched at, "Oh so funny, Shika-chan. Now come on, let's get started."
As I turned to the rest, I heard him muttering behind me, "You didn't answer my question…"
"Right, moving on," I clapped my hands to get their attention, "we are now going to start the 3v3 team fight. As usual, it will be Team Seven versus Team Ten, no restrictions except anything that would leave a permanent injury or something my medical ninjutsu can't fix – I'm looking at you Sasuke. Oh don't give me that look, last week you were about to send a Great Fireball at my team if I hadn't stopped you."
The Uchiha tsk'ed but relented.
"And as always, the losing team has to pay for the losing team's dinner. Without further ado, take your positions."
My team and I moved to one end of the training ground while Team Seven went to the other before huddling together with Shikamaru looking like he was giving instructions to the other two. This wasn't our first team battle and both Naruto and Sasuke realized awhile back that listening to Shikamaru would more often than not leave them in a much better position.
The Nara could be described as the glue that held Team Seven together. Not spiritually, but tactically. Both Naruto and Sasuke possessed stubborn personalities that clashed often. At times they insisted on doing things their way and usually would pay the price for doing so. Shikamaru provided a voice of reason and his prodigious flair for strategy and keen insight had more than once caught my team and I by surprise.
Not that they would have been successful had I been taking the fights seriously. More often than not I took a backseat to this exchanges, allowing either Hinata or Shino to take the lead. These team exercises were more for the others' benefit than my own. Underneath my forehead protector I secretly wore the Berserker's Eyepatch to even the playing field between both teams; its effects kicked in even if it was not worn over my eye.
Not only that, but I also limited the skills I could use, namely [Chakra Enhancement], [Chakra Flow], [Flash Step], and naturally [Sharingan]. Even with Sasuke's own Sharingan activated however, we were still roughly on the same level. Because even though my stats were reduced by half, the amount of passive bonuses my skills granted me boosted my abilities a fair bit.
Team Ten similarly huddled together as Hinata shared her plan.
"…so Shinji-kun will take go ahead and take on Sasuke. Naruto will likely be using his shadow clone technique then, so I would have to trouble Shino-kun to use your kikaichuu to disperse then. We have seen before that even a single bite will pop the clones, so spread out your hive and take them out all at once. I will move in to dispatch the real Naruto but I will have to leave Shikamaru to Shinji-kun once he is done with Sasuke."
"His shadow jutsu always gets me before I can close the distance, but Shinji-kun is too fast for his shadow to keep up. Ah, and Shino-kun, keep an eye out on Shikamaru using your hive's shadow to extend his range. It caught you last time even though you spread out your hive pretty far apart. Uhm… that should be all, right?"
Shino lifted his head, "I don't think that we should-"
I cut him off with a hand on his shoulder.
"Today is Hinata's turn to come up with the strategy." I gently but firmly reminded him with an assertive look in my eye. Part of wargaming, or strategic planning, was the luxury to make mistakes in the safety of a controlled environment today. Mistakes weren't failures, as I had shared with them once; mistakes were opportunities to learn and grow. Depriving another of that opportunity was tantamount to sabotaging their chance to learn from those mistakes and improve.
Neither Hinata nor I had interrupted with any unnecessary comments or critiques when he was the one planning, so at the very least he should extend the same courtesy when it was someone else.
I wanted Shino and Hinata both to develop their own sense of tactics and strategies, rather than relying on any one person for instructions. It was useful in improving not just large scale strategic planning, but also smaller scale, moment to moment tactics during a fight. It would also allow them to think for themselves and in the future question whether an order given by a superior would make the most tactical sense.
Shino's next words were caught in his throat at my message as he gave a slight bow, "I understand. My apologies, Hinata-san."
Hinata reddened at the interaction, seeming to be flustered at what might be perceived as conflict between teammates for one less informed of the team's dynamics, "A-ah, it's okay Shino-kun. I didn't really mind… but thank you, Shinji-kun… y-you're always so kind. I-I mean, are we ready?"
Both Shino and I nodded, already used to the girl's more eccentric idiosyncrasies.
We turned to our opponents, who looked to have finished their planning at the same time as us.
"Ready?" I shouted across the field.
"Hell yeah! When we win, we're going to Ichiraku's, dattebayo! I'm going to get five, no six bowls of their Premium Kurobuta Tonkotsu!" A certain member of Team Seven yelled in response, while his raven-haired teammate rolled his eyes before they shifted from onyx black to a familiar crimson red.
I wish I had someone other than Sasuke to whom I could comment on the irony of said Uchiha using his Sharingan for a spar against me when a just few months back it was the other way round.
Shino's kikaichuu buzzed angrily as I sensed a large number of them already beginning to tunnel into the dirt beneath him.
The veins on the sides of Hinata's eyes bulged as a whispered "Byakugan" activated the Hyuuga clan's dojutsu. Unlike when she was still in the academy where she needed handseals to circulate the chakra to activate her Byakugan, it seemed that she was familiar enough with the process now that not even a single handseal was needed.
I smiled slightly at my teammates' preparation and eagerness to start the fight before drawing my wakizashi to accompany their battle-ready stance.
"Begin!"
"45 metres, 11 o'clock!" Hinata reported through the eyes of her all-seeing Byakugan.
I nodded in response, "Roger that. Shino, surround the target and drive her towards us."
"Understood." The stoic Aburame replied as he sent wave after wave of kikaichuu in to the surrounding vegetation.
Chakra surged into my body as I activated [Chakra Enhancement]; there was no room for error. I closed my eyes and counted down mentally. It would take roughly ten seconds for Shino's swarm to position themselves, so I had another… five, four, three, two…
I reopened my eyes and dashed forward, activating [Whirlwind Steps] to further boost my already impressive speed. My eyes, even without the Sharingan, instantly took note of all the footholds and branches along my path as I made my way towards the target. Thanks to my relatively high DEX stat which improved my dynamic visual acuity naturally, I had keen eyesight regardless whether or not my doujutsu was activated.
It was a feat in and of itself going as fast as I was while making as little sound as possible. Had I been wearing the Rogue's item set, my footsteps would have been soundless. But I figured it was kind of weird for a genin to possess soundless footsteps even as he walked around normally, so I held off on wearing them unless I was on a mission that required discretion.
It took but a few moments before I reached my target – Tora the cat.
The feline menace had extraordinarily keen senses, even for a cat, and had sensed my presence just before I could snatch up the animal with my outstretched hand despite my stealthy approach. With a snarl, the cat leapt away with the unnatural grace and dexterity afforded to its species only to realize that it's escape path had already been blocked off by swarms of insects.
It's eyes flickered around, trying to find a hole in the web we had spun around it. A gap in the blockade of kikaichuu drew its attention as it immediately dashed through. Of course, that gap was intentionally left open to begin with.
Just as Tora was about to achieve freedom, I reappeared with [Flash Step] right in front of the creature and rope flew out of my hands. Hojojutsu, or Restraining Rope Technique, was a standard skill all shinobi had to learn. In the hands of an expert, however, it could bind the enemy in rope before they even realized what was happening.
In a flash, the cat was now bound in rope even as it was trying its hardest to get out of it with its little body. While cats had an extremely flexible and skinny physique which was disguised by their fluffy coat, a shinobi's Hojojutsu ensured not even a creature such as Tora could escape from its restraints. Target acquired.
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.
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"Team Ten reporting in. Target, dubbed 'Tora the Cat', has been acquired. Mission accomplished." Asuma stiffly announced while the rest of us stood at attention behind him. Under his arm was the creature in question, though it was now free from its restraints.
Asuma had removed the rope before we entered the Hokage's tower, citing that the mission requester would not be happy to see her beloved pet being bound tightly in rope. What he used to pacify the restless creature instead was a focused, directed flare of his chakra that sent every survival instinct in the cat's brains firing on all cylinders.
Tora instinctively realized that the human that was holding her was akin to an apex predator that currently had its claws poised around the cat's neck – one wrong move and the feline's throat would be torn out. Or at least, I assumed that was that the cat was thinking as it immediately shrank into docility upon receiving the targeted chakra spike from Asuma.
Had my Sharingan been activated then, I might have even created a new skill. Something like [Killing Intent] or similar.
The Hokage who was seated in the mission dispatch desk nodded calmly, though he looked slightly stirred. Removing the tobacco pipe from his lips, he spoke to us as he looked directly past Asuma. "Capturing Tora in under an hour is considered by many to be an unofficial trial by fire for freshly minted genin. Very well done, Team Ten."
""Thank you Hokage-sama."" The three of us chorused.
Quest [Mission(D): Capture] Completed!
Retrieve Tora the Cat (√)
(Bonus) Complete mission within 3 hours (√)
(Bonus) Complete mission within 1 hour (√)
(Hidden) Persuade Tora to willingly follow you back (X)
Rewards:
+500 EXP
(Bonus) +100 EXP
(Bonus) +1 Point
(Hidden) New Title: [Cat Whisperer] (X)
I loved D-ranked missions. Every mission assigned by the Hokage's tower generated a quest and these quests all had their own rewards separate from the actual mission payment we would receive from the village administration. They provided ample EXP for relatively simple tasks that could be completed in a short time. If only my shadow clones could receive these missions themselves, I would be able to accumulate EXP at a ridiculous rate.
However, my request to do so had been rejected by Asuma. The jounin, upon learning that I had picked up the Kage Bunshin from Naruto, was initially concerned that I might misuse the technique and end up harming myself. But ultimately he knew me well enough to know that I wasn't a fool who would recklessly make more clones than I could handle.
Although he trusted that I was competent enough to use the jutsu sparingly, using the clones to complete D-ranked missions was another matter entirely. He explained that the missions were used by the village to instil patriotism and empathy for the village and its people. That was why Konoha spent a large amount annually subsidizing the costs for these missions.
They were not something to be used by shinobi to exploit for profit nor were they intended to be so. These D-ranked missions had to be taken as a team and completed as a team in order to maximize the 'propaganda' effects. Therefore, regrettably, I was not able to use shadow clones to take on D-ranked missions to farm EXP. Other system generated quests were perfectly fine though, if they weren't assigned by the village that is.
At that moment, the door to the side opened up and in walked a corpulent woman dressed in what had to be the finest and most luxurious garment money could buy. Her rotund cheeks was heavily caked in ghastly makeup while the woman was also adorned with various forms of jewellery and ornaments made of gold and precious gems.
Right behind her was a stoic looking man dressed in an ornate yukata, though less extravagant than the woman's. He had the distinctive aura of a sheathed blade and his eyes flickered about seemingly looking for hidden threats. For a moment, his pupils locked towards the corner of the room, as though he was staring at someone who no one else could see, before relaxing his vigilance and following the woman into the room.
"Hiruzen, I heard that my Tora-chan has been- Tora-chan! You're back!" The woman started before yelling in joy and running over to Asuma and snatching the cat from his arms and into hers.
"Oh my poor little Tora-chan! Mommy was so worried about her naughty little fuzzykins, yes she was!" The lady exclaimed as she clutched the cat in what I had to assume to be a bone crushing hug even for the flexible cat.
Tora shrieked in displeasure while struggling to get out of the grasp of the lady, though with little success.
I cocked an eyebrow in curiosity, thinking about the audacity of the woman who had dared address the Sandaime Hokage so casually and with so little regard to his authority before I remembered who the owner of Tora the Cat belonged to – the Fire Daimyo's wife.
From the corner of my eye, I noticed Asuma lean forward, as if he had almost instinctively knelt down in deference – a habit I was sure he picked up during his days at the Capital as one of the twelve guardian shinobi, but he caught himself before he did. Kneeling to someone right in front of your own Hokage was a sign of such disrespect that even Asuma, the Sandaime's own son, was not willing to display.
Instead, the jounin bowed deeply, "Lady Shijimi, it is an honour to meet you once again."
The woman raised her head from cuddling the cat and took a look at the man who had just spoken, "You are… oh, Asuma! Come now, no need for such formality. Raise your head, you are no longer in the service of my husband. How long has it been since you left the Capital? A year?"
Asuma straightened his back and smiled, "Slightly longer than a year, Lady Shijimi. You look as radiant as ever."
"Hohoho, you're as smooth talking as ever too, Asuma. I heard you became a jounin instructor recently, is this your genin team?" Lady Shijimi gestured at the three of us who had been watching the exchange with some astonishment before being startled by the sudden attention.
"Yes, Lady Shijimi." Asuma looked to have been considering something in his head before he continued, "They are a talented bunch who will serve the Land of Fire well in the future. Although truth be told I still deeply yearn for the days spent in service to his lordship Daimyo-sama."
His words were just empty platitudes. That I knew for a fact. Asuma had repeatedly shared with us that there were as many downsides to being one of the Twelve Guardian Shinobi as there were benefits. Though it seemed the Daimyo's wife appreciated the gesture.
She approached us as we bowed deeply, similar to how Asuma had been just bowed before.
"At ease," She motioned for us to rise. Lady Shijimi stared at Hinata for a moment before giving an 'ah ha' look, "Oh, I know you… You're Hiashi's daughter, yes?"
Hinata was unexpectedly not as flustered as I thought she would have been, apparently having been taught by her father on the ways to interact with figures of nobility, "Yes Lady Shijimi." It seemed that she had also been taught to be concise and precise with her words when dealing with such people.
"Ah, I remember your mother. What a shame that was. So young."
The Hyuuga looked to have been caught offguard by the statement. I didn't think she had been aware that the Fire Daimyo's wife was so familiar with her parents.
"I… I thank you for your kind words, Lady Shijimi."
The woman nodded before turning to Shino and me, though seeming to not have received an impression that would have prompted her to converse with us lowly genins.
Without speaking, she turned away from us and approached Asuma once more, who I now realized was speaking to the man who had been following Lady Shijimi.
"It has been awhile, Sarutobi." The man greeted; his aura presence tinged with a sharp edge that was not present before.
"Likewise, Sakamoto." Asuma returned the greeting, though his head was tilted in a superior manner. I could only guess at the history behind the two warriors.
Out of curiosity, I casted [Observe] on the mysterious man.
Sakamoto Takeshi Lv ?
HP: ?
CP: ?
Sakamoto Takeshi is the bodyguard of Lady Shijimi.
You can't tell what he thinks of you.
Takeshi is stronger than you.
It was not surprising that I could not read the status of the man, which could only mean that he was more than 50 levels higher than me. My jounin instructor had a similar status page when I used [Observe] on the man, albeit with slightly more information than the sparse description of this individual. He and Asuma felt equally dangerous to the side of my mind that had a habit of assessing any potential danger to me.
"Hmph, we still haven't settled our… dispute, before you ran away back to Konoha." Takeshi taunted.
Asuma lifted an eyebrow before smirking, "Hah, if by dispute you mean you challenging me to a fight and then losing before swearing you will win the next time, then sure… I 'ran away'."
The bodyguard narrowed his eyes and was about to retort before Lady Shijimi interrupted their exchange of verbal barbs, "Let's go Takeshi. Hiruzen, double the payment for Asuma's team. They have done well."
"Yes mistress." Takeshi acknowledged, not before sending a parting glare at Asuma.
"Of course, Lady Shijimi." The Hokage responded, "Please, allow me to escort you." Hiruzen stood up and accompanied the Fire Daimyo's wife and her bodyguard out of the room while signalling to us that we were dismissed.
The three genins including me exchanged looks and simultaneously breathed out a sigh of relief. Even Shino, the ever stolid Aburame, could not remain unaffected in the presence of one of the most powerful person in terms of authority in the Land of Fire.
Asuma continued staring at the door where his father and the wife of his previous employer had just left through. Feelings of nostalgia and longing seemed to have burgeoned out of the jounin's heart where it had been previously buried deep.
"Asuma-sensei," I started, pulling the man out his thoughts, "I don't understand… why does the Daimyo's wife even need genins to retrieve her cat for her? I am sure she has her own entourage who are more than capable of doing so. And I hear that she is in Konoha often and loses her cat just as often. The whole thing just seems strange to me."
"Yes, I too am curious. That man looked to be an accomplished warrior. Surely he would have the ability to retrieve a mere cat." Shino added.
Hinata looked to still have been affected by Lady Shijimi's parting words, so she remained silent and out of the conversation.
Asuma brushed his beard, "That's… complicated. Hmm… Shino, Hinata, the two of you will become the heads of your respective clans in the future, so perhaps it would be good for you to hear this. And I think the three of you are mature enough not to go around spreading rumors or leaking what I am about to say."
He motioned for us to come closer as he whispered.
"The situation in the Capital is… turbulent. The Daimyo has one official wife, and that is Lady Shijimi. But, he also has quite a few concubines, among whom three of them have sired children for him. And it is these three who often compete, rather viciously too, for the Daimyo's time and affections."
"As the Daimyo's legal wife, Lady Shijimi has little reason to bother with the infighting amongst the concubines. However, there is no wife in the world who can stand to see her husband making googly eyes at other women. Furthermore, because of the favour the Daimyo has bestowed to the three concubines, they are allowed more leeway in their machinations, which at times would involve Lady Shijimi."
"My theory is that such an environment can be too toxic for Lady Shijimi, who can't stand the Daimyo's behaviour. Not that I would blame her… not only is her husband spending every night with young women, but he also turns a blind eye to their schemes. So she often makes trips to Konoha, giving excuses like maintaining the relationship between our village and the Daimyo's court, in order for her to spend less time in the Capital city and avoid being part of the infighting between the Daimyo's women."
"Tora often 'escapes' for her to have a reason to remain in Konoha even longer than she needs to. Sending a bodyguard to retrieve the cat would be too quick for her purposes, while allowing genin to do so would not only stretch out the time she gets to spend in Konoha, but she can also further justify it by claiming to be participating in the village's system of D-ranked missions inculcating loyalty."
"Not to mention she also gets to avoid the messed up conflict between the Daimyo's children… ahem but that's a story for another time, and a much too sensitive topic to be discussed so openly." Asuma finished elaborating.
I titled my head in interest. I never knew that behind the scenes of Lady Shijimi's visits to Konoha lay such a tumultuous backstory. Neither did I know that the Daimyo had concubines or even multiple children to boot. Asuma mentioned some kind of conflict between them as well, perhaps a fight for the throne? Fascinating.
"Alright, story time's over. The three of you have the rest of the day off, you can leave now. The old man wants to talk after this, so I will stay."
""Hai, Asuma-sensei.""
.
.
.
"You have been requested for a mission." The Hokage started before sliding a scroll across the desk towards the standing Asuma.
The jounin furrowed his brows in surprise and some discontent at the statement. Was his father expecting him to leave his team in the village while he went off to participate in a mission? Did he truly think that lowly of him? 'No, calm down, listen to what the old man has to say first.'
"I am afraid I won't be able to take up any individual missions while my squad is still under going training." Asuma replied respectfully, though with a slight edge to his voice.
As if expecting such a response, Hiruzen continued unimpeded, "You misunderstand me. It is you and your team that have been requested."
Asuma tilted his head in confusion, "My team? How is that possible? They have barely graduated from the academy, who could be the one requesting them? It couldn't be Lady Shijimi, could it?"
The Hokage chuckled, "No, no of course it is not Lady Shijimi. The mission requester claims he is an old friend of yours; a merchant based in the Capital city. One Kurokawa Yoshiro."
The jounin gained a look of understanding, "Ah yes, he is indeed an acquaintance I had made while I was in the Capital. He's here in Konoha now?"
The Sandaime nodded, "Indeed. He has requested you, and by extension your team, to escort him back to the Capital city. For old times' sake, he claims. A simple C-ranked escort mission, it shouldn't take longer than two weeks travelling back and forth. Of course, that is only if you judge your team to be ready for a C-ranked mission… are they?"
Asuma donned a contemplative look. It had only been a month since his team graduated from the academy, and for any other greenhorn, wet behind the year genin team, it would have been a resolute no. But if he was being completely objective, there was only a little difference between Team Ten and other veteran genin squads.
Their individual skills were solid, without a single weak-link between them. All three could hold their own against a threat not surpassing chuunin level, aside from his pride and joy Shinji who could probably fend off even chuunin level opponents for a period of time. Their team work was also commendable given the short time they have been working together.
He tacitly approved of the inter-team training sessions his protégé had been organizing with Team Seven since it not only sharpened their teamwork, but those sessions also honed their combat instincts. Sometimes he would drop by and watch them from a distance, impressed with the maturity and foresight Shinji displayed in organizing and during these sessions.
Asuma knew that Shinji held himself back during the inter-team spars, and for a young, rookie genin with a chip on his shoulder and looking for something to prove, holding back showed incredible restraint and self-control. Already, the Rookie of the Year was proving himself to be a one-in-a-generation talent that would one day find himself amongst the ranks of other monstrous geniuses.
At times, the jounin even felt apprehensive teaching the boy. Shinji had an unbelievable ability to comprehend his teachings. No one would believe that the kid, using just a couple shadow clones to amplify his training, picked up Nature Transformation in just a few days as though he was picking up tree-walking. His combat instincts and physical capabilities were being sharpened so quickly Asuma could often see the changes with his own eyes.
Yet, at the same time, there was also a certain amount of pride the came with being the sensei of a prodigy. Just as his father could boast that he was the mentor of the legendary Sannin, so too could Asuma boast that he was the mentor of the legendary figure Shinji were sure to become in the future. Such a thought also gave Asuma some pressure, since a grave mistake on his part could ruin the boy's future, but the man could only worry about that when the time came.
Other than Shinij, both Hinata and Shino were also shaping up to be competent shinobi in their own right. Asuma could tell that Shino had been galvanized by Shinji's overwhelming talent. Although the Aburame never outwardly expressed such a sentiment, Asuma could recognize that feeling of inferiority and subsequent ambition to overcome the complex. It was a feeling all too familiar for the man.
As such, Shino gave a hundred and twenty percent during every training session, and from what he heard, even back at his clan compound his efforts did not diminish. In fact, his diligence further intensified when he was training his clan's techniques. His progress could not be compared to Shinji's own freakishly fast development, but he was certainly heads above the rest of the graduating class.
Similarly, Hinata also displayed the expected Hyuuga excellence. Though her personality outside of battle was something that should be worked on, during combat however, her attacks could get downright vicious. The Gentle Fist was a deadly taijutsu style, and in the hands of someone who knew how lethal it was and could use it to a frightening degree of proficiency, it was a devastating martial art that would render an unsuspecting opponent suffering from their negligence.
She seemed to have been working on slowly altering the usual Gentle Fist style to suit her own personal fighting style and physique, modifying the usually hard and fast Gentle Fist style into a more agile and flexible one.
Plus, her crush on Shinji only motivated her more than it distracted her. Oh, it was so obvious the girl was infatuated with the young genius – it baffled Asuma to no end that the usually perceptive and sharp Shinji appeared to be completely oblivious to the Hyuuga's rather conspicuous display of affection. Not that he would ever deign to get in the middle of the whole thing by telling the boy. He wasn't a meddlesome person by nature, and it would be too troublesome to do in the first place. Not to mention the team dynamics might be affected if the relationship between the two got awkward.
All in all, if Asuma was being truly objective, then yes, he would conclude that his team was ready for a C-ranked mission.
"They are ready." Asuma answered with conviction.
The older Sarutobi leaned back, troubled that his son was convinced of his team's readiness. That, to him, was a sign that the man was not ready to be a jounin squad leader. He only asked his son if he thought his team was ready as a test. No genin team was ready to undertake a potentially dangerous mission only a month from graduation, no matter how gifted they were.
It was not just a matter of combat readiness. For genins who were to embark on their first mission outside the village, it rested solely on how prepared they were to face the realities of being a shinobi. And something like that took time for the jounin squad leader to slowly but surely mentally prepare and condition the young genins to be ready to potentially risk their lives for the village.
Freshly graduated genins who got sent on missions they were not mentally prepared for was a recipe for disaster. At best they would come back learning a valuable lesson. At worst, they might freeze in the middle of a dangerous situation and lose their lives. Mostly, these unprepared genins would come back traumatised or scarred for life. With what was at stake, mental conditioning was not something that could be rushed.
Hence, what else could he think but that Asuma was in over his head when his son claimed Team Ten to be ready for a C-ranked mission with just the slightest hesitance after barely a month of the required conditioning. But the duty of the father was not just to admonish, rather it was to let the son realize it on his own. Though such a philosophy when dealing with this wayward son of his often contradicted with the duty of a Kage to discipline his soldiers, which only resulted in more conflict between the father and son.
"Are you sure?" Hiruzen prompted, earning a look of dissatisfaction from the jounin.
Asuma furrowed his brows, slightly offended that his father was second-guessing his judgement. He could guess what his father was thinking, but he knew his team best. If he said they were ready, no one else was entitled to say otherwise.
"I am." The younger Sarutobi answered, his eyes narrowing in a challenge.
Hiruzen sensed the oncoming conflict, and contrary to what his son thought, he never relished the bitter words they traded on a regular basis. But, it was his duty, both as a father and his Kage, to educate Asuma – even at the expense of their relationship.
"You say they are ready, even though they have only recently graduated the Shinobi Academy? You leave me questioning your judgement, Asuma."
"I know my team best. They are not like other genins. All of them have the potential to be great, especially Shinji. He-" Asuma shot back without hesitation, only to be cut off by his father.
"Do you know what the greatest cause of death for a shinobi in the field is?" The Sandaime spoke, slowly and softly without hurry. Only a man plagued with insecurity had to shout and scream to prove himself right. He who announced to the world that they were a king was no true king. One with true authority need not proclaim to the world that they had authority for the world already knew.
Asuma fought back the temptation to roll his eyes. Here it comes, the wise old man routine again, he thought to himself. "I don't know, carelessness? Arrogance" He answered flippantly.
"No. Carelessness and arrogance is only a symptom of the true condition that kills the shinobi. The true reason is assuming one is special. That they weren't like all the other shinobi out there; that they were the protagonist of their story. Thus they needn't be cautious because of just how special they thought they were."
The Sandaime hardened his gaze as he continued, "And then they die, their last thought being the realization that they weren't special after all. The same goes for a leader who, believing that their subordinates are special, overestimates them and as a result leads them to their death. Tell me, Asuma, do you think your team is special?"
Asuma gritted his teeth, "I know what you're trying to say; that I have overestimated my team and am making a mistake overestimating them and sending them into danger. However, have you considered that maybe, just maybe, sometimes you don't know everything? Perhaps, I, who spent the last month with this team could possibly know more about them than you?"
"You sit there in your ivory tower looking down on the rest of us, pitying our ignorance, while wielding the 'wisdom of the elders' like a club. But don't pretend like you have been the greatest teacher in history when your own disciples have been scattered in the winds. I am different from you. Spare me the lecture old man."
The Hokage inhaled sharply, before removing the Kage's hat atop his head and setting it down next to him on the table. "What you call an elder's wisdom is just the accumulated lessons we have learnt after a lifetime of failure. You see this hat? It is a heavy object. The weight I feel, the worry that I can never quite pinpoint that never goes away. That, is the burden of responsibility. It is both a blessing and a curse that I have learned to live with since the first day I started wearing this hat. It is a constant reminder that I am now responsible for every single soul within Konoha."
"You who have never once shouldered the burden of responsibility can never understand what it is like in my shoes, yet you dismiss my words as hypocrisy. I had assumed that your immaturity would change after you became a jounin sensei. Alas, I have been proven wrong. You have yet to understand that as a jounin squad leader, you are no longer only responsible for yourself – you are also responsible for the three genin on your team."
Asuma took an indignant step forward, his chakra flaring in his anger and frustration, though the pressure was easily repelled by the old man's own aura. The hidden ANBU bodyguards in the corner of the room looked at each other, unsure whether or not to intervene. They knew Asuma was the Hokage's son, so they could evaluate that the man was not truly a threat. Furthermore, they already felt like outsiders listening in on what should be a private family affair.
"You don't know anything about me! You never did and you have never tried to! All you do is sit there judging me and looking at me with disappointment in your eyes like I am not worth even one second of your time. Be honest, this was never about my team. You just don't trust me nor my judgement!"
The Sandaime sighed, already tiring of this argument. It was always the same damn thing over and over again with his son. Miscommunication was the greatest impediment to any restoration of a healthy relationship between the father and son, this Hiruzen knew to be true. But knowing didn't mean anything when every time the two spoke, tempers would flare and pride took precedence over a peaceful resolution.
"Enough." One word quietly spoken, and a flare of his own chakra, akin to the hand of God brushing away a hurricane, was all the Hokage needed to extinguish the rising tension and remove the pressure from Asuma's chakra flare. "If you believe so strongly that you are right then nothing else I say can change your mind. Take the mission. You are dismissed."
The jounin stood there, the anger and frustration still bubbling and threatening to spill over the edge. Even if his father had relented, he still felt like he was ten years old again, being chastised by his disappointed father after throwing a temper tantrum. He stalked forwards and grabbed the mission scroll.
"It was never about being right…" Asuma muttered under his breath as he turned to walk away.
The Sandaime's breath hitched in his throat as he watched his only living son exit the room. What would it take for reconciliation, he wondered, his death? Might the metaphorical hatchet have to be buried with him for his son to make peace with his failed parenting?
"I apologize for that embarrassing scene you two had to witness." He offered to the seemingly empty room.
"…we apologize for intruding, Hokage-sama." The ANBU bodyguard responded awkwardly.
Hiruzen pinched the bridge of his nose with his eyes closed, trying to sooth the encroaching headache. 'Biwako would have known how to reconcile us…'
Team Ten was gathered by Asuma not long after he had given us day off. We had been walking around trying to decide where to go for dinner before Asuma suddenly showed up infront of us. He seemed… agitated, even if his face didn't look that way. He had on a fake smile, one that looked like the casual, laidback expression he usually had on. But it was different.
"Good news, we just got a C-ranked mission." He cheerily announced, but the joy in his voice sounded hollow. Although it didn't seem like Shino nor Hinata perceived it as they reacted naturally without question.
"So soon?" Shino asked, an eyebrow cocked.
Asuma nodded, "Yep. I will fill you in on the details tomorrow morning, but for tonight pack the essentials and get ready for a two week mission. We will be meeting at the village gate at first thing in the morning so make sure to get enough rest tonight."
"Should we be expecting any trouble?" I asked, though my voice was hinting at what I assumed was being left unsaid, judging by Asuma's strange behavior.
The man turned to me and replied, "Nothing out of the ordinary."
I shrugged, maybe his weirdness didn't have anything to do with the mission.
"Where are we headed, Asuma-sensei?" Hinata inquired.
"To the Capital."
Not much happening in this chapter, I was more focused on setting up the next arc, which will evidently be based in the Land of Fire's Capital city.
Chapter Breakdown:
Some background on Hinata's transition into a yandere – alongside having greater confidence in herself and her skills, her father has also repeatedly inculcated in her the belief that 'might makes right'. So in her mind, she starts to believe that she can't let anyone get between her and her goal (Shinji). All obstacles should be destroyed.
Not that she's gonna go all psycho and start murdering people for just breathing in the same air as Shinji. It will be more along the lines of an internal monologue in her mind and both thickly or thinly veiled threats to any competition.
The training scene is abit more self-evident. Nothing much to break down there. I really wanted to write a Team Seven vs Team Ten fight scene, but maybe somewhere down the line when it is more relevant plot-wise.
Asuma thinks really highly of Shinji, which I feel is understandable. Think about canon Sasuke, who was praised to be a genius, but he was only around mid-genin when he graduated. It was only when he gained the Sharingan that he soared to high-genin to low chuunin level. Shinji, without the Sharingan, is already low-chuunin level right after graduation. Such a 'talent' is and should be thought of as extremely rare and only appearing once in a generation.
Asuma accurately and rightfully predicts Shinji to have the potential to achieve kage-level strength in the future. Put yourself in his shoes and with the realization that under your tutelage is a future-kage level shinobi; how much will you overestimate the kid and how worried will you be of making a mistake and ruining his future?
The conversation between the Sarutobi father and son duo was a lot of fun to write, but maybe one glaring flaw that I can identify is their conflict, or rather reason for conflict. I myself have a pretty good relationship with my father, so I can't really identify with 'daddy issues'. I boiled it down to miscommunication and masculine pride that hinders reconciliation, does that sound realistic?
There was a lot of setting up for future arcs, especially Capital shenanigans. Therein lies my worry. You can expect a ton of OCs and AU content for the upcoming mission in the Capital, but I am not sure if readers will like it. It won't be completely removed from the canon plot, but it will definitely be a giant tangent. I am still going through with it, the only concern is how long the arc is going to be.
Yeah, so question of the week is: what are your thoughts on original characters, settings, missions in a Naruto fanfic? Is it refreshing to see something new after reading story after story of different (or largely the same) interpretations of the Wave mission, or should the author stick to the original story?
That's about it, hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Like always, thanks for reading my story and if you liked it, smash that like button and hit subscribe for more content!
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